What are you working on next?
I’m currently working on the second book of my debut trilogy—an epic fantasy about a girl bound in a blood pact to a monster. Think The Witcher meets Shadow and Bone. I recently revealed the cover of the first book, The Rarkyn’s Familiar, which comes out in April next year (and is available for pre-order!).
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
100% the ending. I cried while
writing it. I won’t give too much away (other than to say no, the dingo doesn’t
die). But I had to walk away from the keyboard after writing it I was so
emotionally rung.
What inspired your book/series?
Dingo & Sister was actually a challenge to myself to
prove I could write characters. Up until then, I had this belief that I wrote
great plots but my characters were so-so. What’s more, I often needed a lot of
words to bring them to life. The goal for Dingo & Sister was to
create compelling characters in as fewer word as possible.
In terms of inspiration, much of
it came from a train trip I did across the Nullabor—a desert plain that runs
across the Great Australian Bite. It’s a two-day trip; you go to sleep one
night seeing bushland and scrub outside the window then wake up the next
morning to vast, utterly flat red desert. It’s quite surreal. We took the trip
right in the middle of summer and the heat was something else, floating around
45C (113F) when we got out of the train at its midway stop.
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
A lot! I’m something of a
chameleon writer and my style will vary a little depending on the type of story
I’m telling. I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with style and voice in my
short fiction, taking elements from the voices of Peter McLean and Madeline
Miller and combining it with the weirdness of Paul Jennings.
For my longer works, one of my
most significant fantasy influences is Robin Hobb—she writes some of the most
vivid characters in the genre (imo). On the science fiction front, William
Gibson's Neuromancer, Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, Isaac
Asimov's Foundation and Vonda McIntyre's Dreamsnake come
to mind. On the manga side, seminal works such as Princess Mononoke, Akira,
Ghost in the Shell, and Berserk have been hugely
influential.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
Given many fantasies and sci-fis
are either war-torn kingdoms (or on the brink of it) or have gross social,
political and/or environmental problems, I think I'll stick with New Zealand
(but maybe somewhere in the South Island near the mountains, preferably with a
good coffee shop nearby).
What is your favorite meal?
Oo, tough choice. I love tacos,
curries and stir-fries, but I think my grandmother’s mac and cheese recipe is
my favorite. Quick and easy too (but not very healthy).
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?
I love a good coffee, but I’m
sensitive to caffeine so I’ve had to cut back. These days it’s a coffee in the
morning to get me going then fruit teas after that. One of my local tea shops
does a nougat flavored tea that is AMAZING. I much prefer wine or cider over
beer, Pino Gris is my go-to.
Describe yourself in three words.
Persistent (some might say
stubborn). Curious. Loyal.
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